


Exposed

by killerweasel



Series: From Ink and Chalk to Scales and Stars [10]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Kaiju Newton Geiszler, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-03 02:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1728287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Secrets are made public.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Exposed

Title: Exposed  
Fandom: _Pacific Rim_  
Characters: kaiju!Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, Hannibal Chau  
Word Count: 1,308  
Rating: PG-13  
A/N: AU after the events of _Pacific Rim_  
Warnings: n/a  
Summary: Secrets are made public.

 

 

Hermann fumbled around as he tried to grab the ringing and vibrating cell from the table next to the bed. He felt Newt grumble something rude in the back of his mind before wrapping his tail tighter around Hermann's waist. Hermann finally managed to grab the cell and pressed a button, bringing it to his ear. He murmured a sleepy greeting.

"Doc, I know it's not even the ass crack of dawn in your neck of the woods, and I'm sorry for waking you up, but there's a problem you need to know about."

The anger in Hannibal's voice made Hermann sit up. "Hannibal? What's going on?"

"I think both of you should hear this. Wake up Newt and put me on speakerphone."

Hermann shook Newt's shoulder. "Newton? Get up. Hannibal's on the phone."

Newt yawned loudly. _What the hell, Hermann? It's three in the morning._ He sat up carefully, leaning his body against the wall. _Okay, I'm mostly upright._

Biting his lip, Hermann pressed the speaker button. "You said there was a problem, Hannibal. What are you talking about?"

"Your explanation as to why Newt was using a projection during your lecture tour just got harpooned in the ass. Saying he 'had a lab accident' apparently wasn't good enough for some reporter looking to make a name for himself. He tracked down the doctors and nurses who were there during Newt's 'recovery'. Most of them told him nothing. But one of the doctors, his wife has Level One Kaiju Blue and you know how expensive the treatments are, he told the reporter everything. There were even a couple of fuzzy pictures of Newt unconscious on hospital bed with you sitting next to him, Hermann."

Hermann's blood ran cold. He wanted to say something, wanted to ask Hannibal if this was some sort of a joke, but his mouth wouldn't work. His chest felt too tight and it was getting harder to get oxygen into his lungs.

Newt picked up on Hermann's distress and leaned forward until his chin was on Hermann's shoulder. _I need you to breathe for me, okay? In for a count of four, out for a count of six. Come on, do it with me._ They breathed together for a couple of minutes until Hermann began to calm down.

"Doc? You still there?" There was a sound like a phone being smacked against a hard surface. "Damn, I think I lost him."

"I'm here. I just... I needed a moment." Hermann leaned back against Newt while trying to ignore the trembling in his body.

"I didn't find out about it until it was too late, otherwise I would have made sure that shit had never seen the light of day. By tomorrow, it'll be everywhere. I wanted to warn you before all hell broke loose."

"Thank you." Hermann sighed, rubbing his temple.

"I can make him retract his statement if you want. Shouldn't be too difficult to do."

_Tell him no, Hermann._

"We're going to pass on that for right now." He picked the cell up. "We'll figure something out."

"If you guys need anything, you know where to reach me." The line went dead.

_What do you want to do?_

"I want to go back to bed and pretend it never happened." Hermann flopped down on the mattress with a groan. "How do you want to handle this, Newton? I'll do whatever you think is best."

 _I don't care what people think of me. I'm happy with how I am and nothing they say or do is going to change that. As long as we're together, nothing else really matters._ Newt eased his body down, carefully wrapping it around Herman's frame. _They're probably going to bother your father and siblings about it. I know my dad will just tell them to piss off and that'll be the end of that._

"Oh dear lord, I hadn't thought about that." A knot formed in Hermann's stomach. "I should call and warn them."

_Look, we should get some rest. We'll think more clearly in the morning. I might have an idea, but I need to ponder it a while longer._

"I doubt I'm going to sleep very well, but I'll give it a try." He closed his eyes, pressing his body closer to Newt's.

\---

 _If you think this is okay, I'll send it to Hannibal and have him give it a onceover before he releases it to the press._ Newt tapped a key on the laptop with a claw, causing a video to start to play.

The video projection of Newt they'd used for the lecture tour walked out in front of the camera. He gave a little wave. "Hi, I'm Dr. Newton Geiszler. There was a story in a popular newspaper recently about an incident which happened while I was working on a Kaiju tissue sample. I could lie to you and say the doctor was making it up. I could also say those pictures were fake."

The projection shimmered and vanished, revealing Newt as he actually looked. Newt slowly spun around in a circle. He stuck his tongue out at the camera. "Everything the doctor said was true and the pictures are real. What you're hearing right now is a recording of my voice as I am unable to speak without the use of technology. I was exposed to an unknown Kaiju substance and as you can see, the results weren't what anyone expected. That being said, I'm still me. I'm happy, I'm healthy, and I'm fine. I just look different."

Hermann stepped into frame. He glanced over at Newt. "I'm Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. On behalf of myself and my partner, we ask that you respect our privacy and the privacy of our families."

"There aren't going to be any press conferences or public appearances. It isn't necessary. There are more interesting things you could be reporting on instead, like the new nanotechnology being used to currently clean the Kaiju Blue from the oceans or the Coastal Walls being torn down." Newt walked over to Hermann. "Compared to that, we're kinda boring."

The video cut off. Newt nudged Hermann with his shoulder. _Well?_

"Send it to Hannibal."

\---

 _Anything new about us in the papers or on the internet?_ Newt peered over Hermann's shoulder at the screen.

"There hasn't been anything for over a week. We've been overshadowed by some of the Jaeger technology being adapted to help people who have lost limbs." Hermann pointed to a smiling woman holding a robotic arm. "I worked with Dr. Alverez when I was stationed in Sydney. She's absolutely brilliant."

 _That's awesome._ Newt stood up. _I guess we've had our fifteen minutes of fame. I think my favorite news story was from the one reporter who said I was so into Kaiju I must have turned myself into one on purpose._ He made a rude noise.

"As vulgar as it was, I think the headline entitled 'Biologist in the lab, Kaiju in the sack' was the most amusing." Hermann laughed. "I'm glad everything has died down and they didn't bother our families too much."

 _I'm still a bit stunned that Lars stood up for me to that reporter. That was really nice of him._ Newt had rewatched the video clip a dozen times, pointing out the exact moment Lars was officially tired of the reporter's bullshit.

"He likes you, Newton. I'm more surprised he didn't punch the man in the face." He closed the laptop.

_Oh! My dad emailed me this morning. He wants to come out and stay with us for a couple weeks next month. You up for some company?_

"Of course." Hermann smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

 _Fantastic._ Newt leaned in, flicking his tongue against Hermann's cheek. _I'm going to go for a dip in the lake. Wanna join me?_

"Of course."


End file.
